A.G. Gancarski, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiMay 31, 2017

In Jacksonville Wednesday for the JAXUSA quarterly luncheon, Florida Chamber CEO Mark Wilson described the 2017 Legislative Session as a “mixed bag.” “Things in Tallahassee are fairly predictable,” Wilson said, though “frustrating.” Urging those on hand to “have faith in the long-term,” Wilson said that while there’s a “period of time we need to band together […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 30, 2017

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson visited Jacksonville Tuesday afternoon, meeting with doctors at UF Health Jacksonville’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to discuss the ever-increasing problem of newborns addicted to opioids. The issue is an especial challenge at UF Health – the sole “safety-net” hospital in Northeast Florida, where the vast majority of patients are either on Medicaid or […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 30, 2017

In Jacksonville Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson addressed problems in the Presidency, including shakeups in the Donald Trump Administration related to Russia, and President Trump’s just concluded trip to the Middle East and Europe. Nelson stopped short of recommending impeachment proceedings against President Trump, but is – unsurprisingly – keenly interested in where the investigation […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 30, 2017

Memorial Day weekend in Jacksonville was brutal for the expected reasons, with at least a dozen people shot and four of them killed over the holiday. In a city where virtually every politician who ran for office in 2015 messaged on the theme of public safety, what’s clear is that there is still work to […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 30, 2017

Jacksonville State Rep. Jason Fischer is wrapping up his first year in the State Legislature, and a Friday morning conversation in a local coffee house saw the freshman Republican in a reflective mode – both about the just concluded Legislative Session, and about local politics. One positive sign Fischer sees: the ascension of a political […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 25, 2017

On Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott signed HB 457 into law, a measure that boosts penalties for terrorism charges. Among those charges: paramilitary training from foreign terrorist organizations; lending material support to those organizations; joining those organizations; and agri-terrorism. The bill creates a more expansive definition of “terrorism” and “terrorist activities” in the wake of the Pulse massacre in June. […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 25, 2017

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Yet again, Florida lawmakers have a message for Washington: base F-35 jets in Jacksonville. The entire Florida Delegation signed on to a letter to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson making the case for Jacksonville to house these fighter jets. The letter contends that Jacksonville’s 125th Fighter Wing “best meets the F-35 basing requirements at the lowest cost […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 25, 2017

The political career of Jacksonville City Council President-Designate Anna Brosche hasn’t been all that long, but has been characterized by a triumph per year. In 2015, Brosche shocked some observers by defeating the iconoclastic Kim Daniels in the pastor’s re-election bid to the City Council. In 2016, Brosche – a CPA and a managing partner at […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 24, 2017

For those interested in the long-delayed dredging of the St. Johns River to deepen the JAXPORT channel from 40 to 47 feet for bigger PANAMAX ships, some good news is on the way via $17.5M in the Army Corps of Engineers FY 2017 Work Plan. Florida Congressmen Ted Yoho, Daniel Webster, John Rutherford and Al Lawson collaborated on a letter to […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 24, 2017

Stakes were high in the Jacksonville City Council Leadership Elections, and no one besides the candidates bet as big as Bill Gulliford. When pledging support for the runner-up in Tuesday’s vote for Council President months back, Gulliford said that he wouldn’t accept a standing committee assignment in an Anna Brosche administration. Gulliford walked that back Wednesday in an email […]

A.G. Gancarski

Florida Chamber CEO discusses ‘frustrating’ Legislative Session

In Jacksonville, Bill Nelson takes aim at opioid addiction among newborns

Bill Nelson on Donald Trump investigation: ‘Just the facts, ma’am’

After weekend of gun violence, Jax Sheriff to take ‘crime prevention walk’

Jason Fischer reflects on a ‘strong’ Legislative Session

Rick Scott signs counterterrorism bill into law

Florida Delegation unites in call to base F-35s in Jacksonville

Anna Brosche discusses how she won the Jacksonville City Council Presidency

$17.5M of federal funds slotted for JAXPORT dredge

Jax Councilman Bill Gulliford mulls ‘year in exile’, ‘lesser committees’